RESTREPO mini poster signed by the filmmakers05:45:33 “Restrepo plunges viewers into the experiences of soldiers on the front lines of the Afghan War” – a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, “Restrepo,” named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you. “RESTREPO mini poster signed by filmmakers Tim Hetherington (recipient of four World Press Photo awards, including the World Press Photo to the Year (2008), and an Alfred I. duPont Broadcast award for his work in Afghanistan for ABC’s ‘Nightline’) and Sebastian Junger (bestselling author of “The Perfect Storm” and “War.”)

U.S. Army Combat Infantryman Medallion07:14:14 This coin from Eagle Crest commemorates the U.S. Army Combat Infantryman. Its green and gold face displays four Infantryman on foot. The blue and gold flip has 5 stars and a long rifle.

Personalizable US Coast Guard cross-stitch07:42:34 Counted cross-stitch of the U.S. Coast Guard emblem suitable for personalization with name/rank and additional information (years of service, unit, etc.)(see example photo). Finished piece is designed for a 3.5″ x 5″ opening (mat or frame). Can be mounted with a custom-cut mat (NOT part of auction item) for dual openings in an 6×10 frame (see example photo). Auction winner will need to provide contact information in order to arrange personalization before item can be shipped.

Leadership in Action signed by author ADM Greg Slavonic08:16:59 This auction is a copy of ADM Slavonic’s upcoming book Leadership In Action. It will be released to the general public on Amazon.com in MID-NOVEMBER. This is an ADVANCED copy. ADM Slavonic will sign and ship. SPECIAL TO VALOUR-IT! Greg Slavonic has brought together several contributors for this book that would rightly be on a “Who’s Who” list of our nation’s most highly honored and decorated military leaders; two-, three- and four-star Generals, Admirals, Captains and Colonels, war heroes and two Medal of Honor recipients–they know what it takes to lead and to succeed. In the pages of this book, you will find something that is critical to success in life–a philosophy of leadership that you can take for your own. By reading each chapter, giving thought to what you’ve read and applying what you’ve learned in action; a discerning reader will gain a thorough understanding of what real leaders are made of–and in the learning can become one too.

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (2010, Hardcover)12:38:18 A visceral, gripping, epic novel of the Vietnam War written by a highly decorated war veteran, MATTERHORN throbs with compelling authenticity on each of its many hundred pages. Though its topics are embedded in our cultural consciousness–napalm, Agent Orange, tortured soldier’s souls, the chaos of guerrilla warfare, the impossible ethics of violence, the beauty and horrors of the jungle, loyalty, insanity, friendship, and death–MATTERHORN renders the Vietnam experience anew, boring relentlessly down on the specific kinetic reality of the time and place. Karl Marlantes writes with an intense immediacy reminiscent of Mailer’s THE NAKED AND THE DEAD or James Jones’s THE THIN RED LINE. MATTERHORN deserves to take its place on the short list of great works about America’s engagement in Vietnam and the powerful reality of armed combat.

‘This We’ll Defend’ Army Medallion 13:08:45 This coin from the Northwest Territorial Mint commemorates the U.S. Army. It has an Army themed front side with the words, “This We’ll Defend.” The flip side has the Department of the Army seal.

Keep in mind all of these items are donated by military veterans and bloggers like yours truly!

In fact in the next few days you should see my own contribution showing up at the auction website:

Well so much for that. E-bay has shot us down. So here’s the deal.

Whom ever can send me their E-mail acknowledgement for the highest donation in the next 48 hours will get the cigars. That simple. Just e-mail us at: staff -at-registeredevil.com Remove any sensitive information, and show us how much you donated.

These are the “Robusto” size 5.5 long with a ring gauge of 50 these are the latest line from Gurkha and are exceptionally well made!

Sent in their own wooden Gurkha cigar box

Made in Nicaragua!

Enclosed will be a Manacunda brand guillotine style cigar cutter, and a letter from we here at Registered Evil autographed and on our custom “stationary”. (Probably won’t get you any invites to the next Diplomatic Ball but it will be nifty in itself! )

Keep in mind this may be your chance to get these smokes for a steal if you plan it right, so you need to be on top of your game to grab’em! And remember that every dime will go to supplying wounded military members with voice activated laptops to communicate with home, so these are smokes worth smoking and spending on!!

It’s that time of week again, the one where our time of servitude, mindless paper pushing agony or greasy truck wheels is over!

12 hours until beer thirty and we can join the Window-Down, Foot-Down, gear-jammin, clutch-bangin, corner-squealin-mad-rush-to-the-Posarnada-so-we-can-grab-a-beer-and-call-it-a-weekend-medicine-club!

In honor of VALOUR-IT something for my fellow Warriors!

“Yesterday at the beginning of the ground war Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world. Today they have the second largest army in Iraq”

- Attributed to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, regarding Gulf War I

And some jammin tunes for my fellow Warriors!

But as you grab your car keys and head for the door, remember this I ask:

Somewhere a soldier, sailor or airman is lying flat on their back. They can’t write. Or type. They can’t operate a phone. They are pushing, working, struggling to regain a part of themselves that quite possibly they may never get back again.

Soldiers Angels, and VALOUR-IT help them. You can help them. We can help them.

So as you put your ride in to gear, and crank the CD player, before you lay that $20 on the bar for the first round. Make it a $10 today.

I have been horribly behind in regard this post. I promised Laughing Wolf almost 2 weeks ago I would post it. I managed to get out on my Facebook but completely fornicated the canine when it came to getting it placed on here.

My apologies Wolf. I just keep finding myself horridly distracted lately. I will do better as soon as…oooo!…. something shiny!

We have been contacted by a well-known chef who is interested in taking part, which means being willing to drop all their normal operations and taking a week to cook with the troops if things work out. Some new ideas have come up in regards giving a helping hand to the wounded and other vets who want to move into the food and beverage field.

To do them all requires two things, and they are both things you can help with:

1. Publicity. We need to get the word out in local and national (heck, international even) media. The more people that contact a given outlet or pundit, the better the chance of coverage. While time-on-target is great, it’s not necessary. Just keep hammering at them. Coverage helps us not just with fundraising, but with securing participants for the full-range of the program and with corporate sponsors. It is impossible to overstate how much we need good publicity for this effort, and how much we need your help to get that.

2. Money. Ingredients are one big expense, but not the only one. We are asking chefs to stop their lives for at least a week to go do this, and the response is heartening. However, if you think that chefs are rolling in money (as opposed to dough, we’re not going to discuss those rumors about Bourdain here) you’ve also obviously never spent a lot of time in and around the restaurant/food biz. It would be nice to at least give them a token honorarium. It would be nice if we could do a number of other things, as part of the hand-up process for the wounded.

So, I am asking for both and knowing that the latter is difficult right now. Because things are so difficult for so many right now, the contest to win the autographed picture of Phyllis Diller (see this post for details), is going to change. Knowing that some of you can only do one thing a month, and having also been contacted with some dismay about donations already being made for the month, the photo contest is hereby extended. Instead of closing next Tuesday, it will run through 9 February. The largest individual and corporate contributions to Cooking with the Wounded by close-of-business 9 February will win the photos.

Cooking with the Wounded is a group on Facebook as well as a Cause. Please join in. Please spread the word. Please do what you can to help us do for the troops.

I know its a rough time of year to be asking folks for help and donations, but c’mon. Whats $5 to help a wounded soldier, airman, marine or sailor? Seriously?